Different than last year
Gender forms with asterisks etc. are considered errors at the Abitur in Hesse
The Abitur begins in Hesse and the dispute over gender symbols turns into a culture war
© Sebastian Gollnow / DPA
The Hesse Abitur starts, accompanied by a dispute in the state parliament about spelling in gender.
The Abitur paves many paths: starting next Wednesday (April 17th). Hesse takes written exams for around 23,000 students. Unlike last year, gender symbols within words such as colons, underscores and asterisks are considered errors. This causes political disputes.
Abitur in Hesse: Gender symbols are considered errors
The Green opposition in the state parliament has already requested a special meeting of the cultural policy committee for Tuesday (April 16) and asked the black-red state government for answers to 15 questions. The Greens are about equality. The government refers to permissible gender options such as “pupils”.
Education Minister Armin Schwarz (CDU) wishes the examinees at around 280 schools good luck: “The Abitur marks a milestone in the lives of all graduates.” It is important to overcome the exams with determination. “Whether it’s training, studying or traveling around the world – many doors open after graduating from high school.”
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According to the Ministry of Culture, the exams according to uniform standards across Hesse begin next Wednesday in the subjects of art, music, politics and economics, history, economics, geography, religion, computer science and sport. Final day is May 8th with exams in chemistry. The first preparations for creating the tasks began around two years ago. 48 specialist commissions took care of it.
The written final exams at secondary and secondary schools in Hesse are scheduled for May 13th to 17th. Around 13,000 students are expected at the secondary schools – and around 19,000 examinees at the secondary schools.
Digital cheating does not apply. According to the ministry, “communications technology devices such as cell phones and smart watches” are prohibited. To the extent that calculators are permitted, “programs and files that are not included in the scope of delivery or are not part of a system update must be deleted before the exam begins.”
The Green parliamentary group is once again calling on the black and red parties to end the “culture war” on the backs of the students. The short-term announcement that gender symbols would be considered errors unsettled the examinees and was legally questionable, “since Hessian school law does not currently provide for any gender ban at all.”
In the past three years, the CDU-led Ministry of Culture has suspected due to Corona school cancellations that not all students were aware of the positioning of the German Spelling Council from 2021 – hence the leniency in corrections at the time. But that’s over, according to the ministry: Now “the rules of the Council for German Spelling must be applied when correcting and evaluating the written exams” – as they did before the corona pandemic.